Cats and Domino

I understand that it will be a very slippery slope for me if I start sharing cat videos on this site. Not only is it somewhat off topic, but if someone offered me the job of searching for cat videos all day, I would take it. 

So in sharing this particular video, I’m backing up my choice by shining some light on the creative aspects of the film itself.

For a homemade cat video, the production value is high. Spare, using using simple household items, toys, and multi-colored dominoes, the stark white living room is an attractive setting for this strange adventure.

There are moments of actual drama: can this story even continue given the nature of a cat? There is real suspense because these are not actors. These are cats being little Buddhas. It’s impressive to see how the filmmaker both understands the natures of these individual creatures and creates scenarios for them to behave in their fascinating rhythms.

My favorite moment comes at :35 when we are locked in the saga of a will it/won’t scenario for a full 40 seconds. This performer milks every gesture and fake until finally sneaking into a resolution. 

This really is an impressive feat of storytelling. On some level, these cats are trained, but the filmmaker is also capturing the authentic moments of a chaotic creature to craft a linear saga.